1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to a hanger assembly for suspending heavy objects such as ceiling fans, more particularly to such a hanger assembly which is adapted for installation through a junction box opening in a ceiling without the necessity for entry into the space above the ceiling.
2. Description Of The Related Art
A conventional hanger assembly for suspending heavy loads, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,923, is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The center portion of a previously installed light-weight hanger assembly has been removed, leaving stub portions 240 intact. The hanger assembly 100 is maneuvered through a junction box opening 210 in a ceiling 200 and is to be installed between parallel horizontal joists 220 and 230. The hanger assembly 100 includes a plurality of points 110 to engage and bite into the respective joists 220 and 230 when extended. The points 110 are disposed on feet 120A and 120B which straddle the stub portions 240. The hanger assembly 100 is provided with an elongated tubular brace member 130 having a hexagonal outer peripheral surface and a central axial bore 140 that is internally threaded on one end 131. One end 151 of a threaded rod 150 mates with the end 131. The other end of the rod 150 is rigidly mounted on the foot 120B. The end 132 of the brace member 130 is rotatably mounted on the foot 120A. During installation, the hanger assembly 100 is initially at a minimum length and the brace member 130 and the rod 150 are supported by the feet 120A and 120B in a direction parallel to the plane of the ceiling. The brace member 130 is then rotated, as by engagement with a wrench, to expand the hanger assembly 100 and urge the points 110 to bite and engage the respective horizontal joists 220 and 230. Rotation of the brace member 130 is stopped when the points 110 have tightly engaged the respective joists 220 and 230. A pair of bracket members (not shown) have opposing surfaces complementary to the outer peripheral surface of the brace member 130 and are tightly secured to the brace member 130 by means of screws. Finally, a junction box of the load to be suspended is mounted on the bracket members.
A main disadvantage of the hanger assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,923 is that since the hanger assembly is installed from beneath the ceiling and through a junction box opening in the same, one cannot be sure if the hanger assembly has been properly installed, i.e., the points fully engaged the respective ceiling joists. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the brace member 130 might disengage from the rod 150 if the distance between the joists 220 and 230 is wider than the total length of the brace member 130 and the rod 150.